[Suggestion] Dealing with Trigger-happy Players with Possible PvP rewards.

  • Blam320
    Legend
    Insider

    I've been reading threads and suggestions on how to deal with the hyper-aggressive PvP-only crowd, and I've come up with a potential solution, based on some existing ideas, for critique and revision.

    Basically, it draws on the idea of adding a "Mercenary," or more specifically, a "Bounty Hunter," trading company, that, while possibly offering unique voyages, is simply a system for identifying players and rewarding PvP players for seeking out each other, and not picking on the PvE crowd.

    The first half is identifying dangerous or particularly trigger-happy PvP-ers. Just as members of your crew have green gamertags, and everyone else currently has white, players who accumulate kills against enemy players, or when a crew collectively sinks another ship, their gamertags will change color to non-crewmates, from yellow to orange to red. This DOES NOT reset on death, but your "rank" decays over time. The ship's flag will also change, from white to an ornate skull-and-bones, so signify a dangerous crew.

    As for how the company works, killing an enemy player drops a bounty, the value (in both gold and rep) changes based on the killed player's PvP "rank." So, naturally, the PvE-only crowd will drop bounties that are worth the least, and give the least rep, while PvP-dogs will drop very high value bounties.

    Of course, players would still only require rank 50 in three companies to achieve Pirate Legend status, but a "Pirate Lord" achievement or title could be included for those who max out every trading company, however many there are in the end.

    Possible unlockable rewards for ranking up in the Bounty Hunter trading company might be the elusive Ebon pistol skin, and a corresponding sword skin.

    My hope is this alleviates attacking straight-PvE vessels (I don't think, nor do I expect, this to ever be completely solved; Pirates need merchants to loot after all), while providing some sort of reward to those who enjoy the PvP part of the game.

    Discuss below, leave your suggestions and whatnot. I look forward to being critiqued.

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  • Blam320
    Legend
    Insider

    It occurs to me that I haven't done any brainstorming for voyage types. This could be a little difficult, as we probably can't have standard "fetch quests" like the other companies have currently.

    I feel like instead of voyages, a Bounty Hunter would sell intelligence; highlighting islands on the map where "wanted" pirates have been seen last. Purchasing promotions would unlock real-time trackers for specific wanted crews, among others, which I need some help coming up with.

  • Merlijn504
    Seafarer

    @blam320 I think this would be a great idea! Especially the use of coloured gamertags. Every time I am being spawn-camped I don't immeadiately want to scuttle my ship to respawn, I just want them to stop being so trigger happy so we can FINALLY for once do a raid with MULTIPLE CREWS.....

  • m1sterpunch
    Master
    Insider

    @blam320
    This is along the lines of my idea for "feared pirate" rank. It should follow that killing a low rank player will give you almost no "honor" and that there are diminished returns on camping and griefing. Also the idea of capturing a ship and looting it but leaving the player alive should give bonus "fear honor" after a successful raid. Along the logic of leaving one alive to tell the tale.

  • Varples
    Marauder
    Insider

    Massive exploit window in the gameplay. Not thought through.

    The lack of consequences for dying (positive or negative.. barely) is one of the greatest design planks of this game, it shouldn't be messed with.

  • DrunkPunk138
    Master
    Founder

    I am fully against any PvP reward, especially any reward that is given on every death. It will completely remove any incentive to play nice any time you see anyone, and visual marks on a boat take away from the thrill of not knowing another ships intentions when you see them on the horizon, which is a thing Rare seems to want in their game (and an aspect I appreciate).

    While I'm a very aggressive PvP'er, I don't attack every ship I see. Sometimes, if it's a solo who high tails it once we get too close or a crew that is obviously new, I'll approach them in a more friendly manner and see what happens. That would never happen again if players dropped some sort of skull, even if the skull had no value I'd decorate my ship with them. It also incentivizes bad behavior, like someone with a big bounty running away so as not to lose that visual b****s "i'm a pirate" color tone.

    I think the PvP system is as rewarding as it should be for now, and that's coming from a guy who chases people all day. if I spend an hour chasing a ship and it turns out he just has a castaway chest, then that's my own fault for being so invested in something that isn't a guaranteed payout. And the thrill of the battle is reward enough.

  • Varples
    Marauder
    Insider

    @drunkpunk138 spot on

  • Ve111a
    Ship Mate

    @drunkpunk138 said in [Suggestion] Dealing with Trigger-happy Players with Possible PvP rewards.:

    I am fully against any PvP reward, especially any reward that is given on every death. It will completely remove any incentive to play nice any time you see anyone, and visual marks on a boat take away from the thrill of not knowing another ships intentions when you see them on the horizon, which is a thing Rare seems to want in their game (and an aspect I appreciate).

    While I'm a very aggressive PvP'er, I don't attack every ship I see. Sometimes, if it's a solo who high tails it once we get too close or a crew that is obviously new, I'll approach them in a more friendly manner and see what happens. That would never happen again if players dropped some sort of skull, even if the skull had no value I'd decorate my ship with them. It also incentivizes bad behavior, like someone with a big bounty running away so as not to lose that visual b****s "i'm a pirate" color tone.

    I think the PvP system is as rewarding as it should be for now, and that's coming from a guy who chases people all day. if I spend an hour chasing a ship and it turns out he just has a castaway chest, then that's my own fault for being so invested in something that isn't a guaranteed payout. And the thrill of the battle is reward enough.

    I was literally gonna write something similar. The fun is in the unknown. Maybe they are friendly maybe they aren't, Just like real people. I'd rather find out the hard way, it's get the blood pumping and gives you experience to get better at situations to better deal with them the next time around.

  • Capn Daxio

    I definitely agree with OP, I'm not against PvP by any means, but as-is the game as absolutely zero incentive to do anything but try hard PvP and hunt down every ship you see.

    Like @DrunkPunk138 mentioned though: Running is quite a big issue with that particular system and in PvP in general, which would need fixing before you implement any PvP reward system.

    And @Varples mentioning of lack of consequences is, in my opinion, one of the flaws of this game. The 'do anything' attitude is great if we weren't all humans. 'Do anything' to most means 'ruin the fun for everyone but me.'

    SoT needs to curb the wanton ability to troll and grief with something more than an honor system. Paying to repurchase a ship after it sinks, having a bounty system to discourage hyper-aggressiveness, maybe even a 'life' system on a particular server so that you can have your sporting chances but it can't be absurdly abused.

    I dunno, I'm just spitballing ideas, but this game needs big changes to keep it alive. Maybe it'll go the GTAV route and content will promote more of a focus for people, more things to do and less incentive to be as aggressive, and maybe they won't but something needs to change.

  • Varples
    Marauder
    Insider

    The mechanics you describe are all in Elite: Dangerous, including bounties, ship rebuys and even a pve only mode and I can tell you for a fact that having more consequences for death actually makes for a terrible pvp game (by comparison).

    If you are killed by another ship in Sea of Thieves you lose whatever materials and loot you have gathered and not clocked... and thats it.. as a result, dying is pretty much nothing to get upset about.

    SoT is a great story(quest)-driven, capture the flag, pvp game. Look at other good pvp games; death has little consequence and all players start on a level (scissor paper stone allowing) playing field.

    Changing this would be a terrible mistake.

  • Blam320
    Legend
    Insider

    I appreciate everyone taking the time to voice their opinions.

    However, I would like to say that conversely, a vocal number on these forums especially feel PvP-only players have no incentive to not attack everything on sight. The complaints mostly come from solos or duos running Merchant missions, or exploring without any loot aboard, who are surprised and sunk by prowling Galleons looking for an easy kill.

    There is no incentive to figuring out if someone is even carrying loot before attacking, and at that there is also no incentive to just leaving someone alone if they have no loot, or if their cargo is worthless to you.

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